Enforcement of NERC Reliability Standards

Texas Reliability Entity, Inc. (Texas RE) is authorized by the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) to enforce compliance with NERC Reliability Standards within the geographic boundaries of the ERCOT region.

After Texas RE issues a “Notice of Possible Violation,” or NPV, to a NERC-registered entity, the entity has 30 days to submit a mitigation plan. Submitting a mitigation plan is not considered to be an admittance of guilt. The entity should preserve all relevant documentation, and the process is considered to be confidential.

When Texas RE issues a “Notice of Alleged Violation,” or NAV, Texas RE includes a penalty, which may be monetary or non-monetary, and which may include remedial actions to be taken. The entity may accept or contest the penalty; if contested, the entity may attempt to reach a settlement with Texas RE at any time.

A “Notice of Confirmed Violation,” or NOCV, is issued if the entity has not responded to the NAVAPS within 30 days, if the entity has accepted the violation and penalty, or if the entity has completed the appeals process with NERC. A “Notice of Penalty” is then issued, filed by NERC with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and posted on the NERC site.

In this section, you will learn how to find posted violations of NERC standards and find additional information on sanctions and penalties; mitigation plans; settlement procedures; and the hearing process.

Alleged violations of NERC standards may be reported by emailing a complaint form to Texas RE Complaints or via the Ethics and Compliance Hotline  site, which allows anonymous and confidential reporting.